Alstom, Bombardier tout RATP/STIF order

Bombardier Transportation on Friday said as part of the Alstom-Bombardier consortium, it will supply 210 double-deck commuter train cars for line A of the RER, the Greater Paris regional rail network. Separately, Alstom on Friday identified the order as "70 additional duplex trainsets, known as MI09s."

The new order is an option under a contract signed in April 2009 for a firm order of 60 MI09 trains. The investment is led and co-financed by STIF and RATP, and is valued at approximately $1.3 billion. As a consortium member responsible for one-third of the order, Bombardier’s share will amount to about $417 million, Bombardier said. Alstom pegged its share as worth about $887 million.

Deliveries will take place between 2014 and the end of 2016, Bombardier said. The new vehicles will improve passenger comfort, capacity, and performance on line A of the RER. Bombardier will deliver each five-car train set’s three intermediate cars. It will design and fully assemble its share of the order at its manufacturing site in Crespin, France.

Alstom said its work will include engineering and design in Valenciennes, France, while four other Alstom Transport sites in France will contribute to the MI09: Le Creusot for bogie manufacture, Ornans for engines, Tarbes for traction equipment, and Villeurbanne for onboard computer systems.

The consortium has designed the trains based on its MI2N trains, which it delivered for the same line between 1990 and 2000. The inauguration of the first MI09 trains on the line took place last December.

“I am delighted that the RATP have again placed their trust in Alstom. This project will strengthen the development of French industry throughout the regions,” said Alstom Transport President Henri Poupart-Lafarge in a statement.

Jean Bergé, president, Bombardier Transport France said: “Congestion is a challenge for all major cities around the world, including Paris. We are pleased to offer sustainable transport solutions for the future such as the MI09 trains, which we have developed together with Alstom and the RATP. The 200 Bombardier employees who are working on the project are highly motivated to deliver high quality rail cars on time.”

The April 2009 order is currently being executed. The first MI09s, in service since December 2011, have already covered a half-million kilometres. Like the first MI09s, the 70 additional trainsets will operate on the RER A of the Ile-de-France Region network. Delivery will start in 2014 and be completed in late 2016.

The new MI09 trainsets are equipped with a more efficient traction system to reduce energy consumption and generate less brake dust thanks to increased use of electric braking. Furthermore, the trainsets will feature a system to transmit train operating parameters in real time to maintenance teams, allowing them to anticipate which maintenance operations will be required.

The MI09 is manufactured in France. Since the contract signing in April 2009, more than 200 people (engineers, technicians, draftsmen, workers, etc.) have been working on it at the Alstom site in Valenciennes, the centre of expertise for metros and Ile-de-France RERs (other contracts under way: MF01, MP05).